Some people at MIT have been working for awhile on developing a laptop computer for use by people in the developing world. The goal is for a rugged computer designed to be used mostly outside that only costs $100 per unit to mass produce. They have also designed a custom user interface built on Python, GTK, Gecko running on Linux. The goal is to encourage interaction and communication and provide an Internet platform for people who have likely never used or perhaps even seen a computer before. It’s a noble concept and I hope they go far with it!
Pictures of the first prototype have been unveiled and it looks pretty goofy. It does make me want to touch it and play with it, though! More details and some interesting commentary at Ars Technica.
One reply on “Developing World Laptop”
Yeah, technology first goal should always be helping those who are more needed. I wish good luck to the project too.
Will MS launch a free os for these laptops too? Maybe ‘MS Windows Third World Edition’. Just kidding, of course.
🙁